Burnley boss Eddie Howe will be without a trio of players when his side play host to Cardiff at Turf Moor.

Midfielder Dean Marney sustained a knee injury against Middlesbrough last month and will play no part against the Bluebirds.

Striker Martin Paterson has been out since February after suffering a recurrence of a thigh strain which has blighted his season.

He too will remain sidelined along with fellow frontman Charlie Austin, who is recovering from a dislocated shoulder.

Following the Clarets' failure to reach the play-offs, Howe will have no qualms about reshaping his squad during the summer.

He said: "I think we need some fresh blood as well, some new players, so we'll hopefully make the right decisions and come back a better team."

Cardiff's influential centre-back Mark Hudson is likely to return to the starting XI at Burnley.

Hudson made a welcome comeback from his knee injury to the club's matchday 18 against QPR and has now started the last three matches on the bench. But Monday's woeful 3-0 home defeat to Middlesbrough, a result which shattered Cardiff's automatic promotion hopes, is set to lead to his reinstatement.

On-loan left-back Jlloyd Samuel was poor against Boro and taken off after 31 minutes, meaning he is most likely to make way at Turf Moor with Hudson partnering Dekel Keinan in the heart of defence and Kevin McNaughton switching to the vacant full-back slot opposite Paul Quinn.

Manager Dave Jones must also decide whether to reshuffle his midfield and attacking areas after the defeat as the Bluebirds look to consolidate third place under the threat of local rivals Swansea.